Plastic moulded building member



April 15, 1969 J. MORAWSKI PLASTIC MOULDED BUILDING MEMBER Sheet of 5 Filed Dec. 15, 1967 INVENTOR. JANUSZ MORAWSKI 6802264.?0647311 PAT E T AGENT Aprll 15, 1969 .J. MORAWSKI PLASTIC MOULDED BUILDING MEMBER Sheet Filed Dec. 15, 1967 INVENTOR- JANUSZ MORAWSKI eave/4. Mien PATENT AGENT April 1969 .1. MORAWSKI 3,438,165

PLASTIC MOULDED BUILDING MEMBER Filed Dec. 15, 1967 I Sheet 3 of 3 F FlG.9

I I2 [5 a: [5 l W7 INVENTOR. JANUSZ MORAWSKI G mgeAFfihn PAT ENT AGENT United States Patent 3,438,165 PLASTIC MOULDED BUILDING MEMBER .Ianusz Morawski, 155 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Dec. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 690,967 Int. Cl. E04c 1/10, 1/06 U.S. Cl. 52--309 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a plastic moulded building member having the exterior appearance of a brick or the like, which is adapted for use as a decorative member or for light construction.

The use of conventional clay bricks for decorative purposes within the interior of a building is well known, but has the disadvantage that such bricks tend to be a constant source of dust and grit. This disadvantage is particularly aggravated if, at some later time, it is desired to move or alter such decorative effect when redecorating the house for example. In addition, the erection of a decorative brick structure, even in a domestic basement, involves highly skilled labour and is generally beyond the experience of the home-owner.

Many other uses for bricks would be available if these disadvantages were removed. An additional, and sometimes disadvantageous feature of the conventional clay brick, is its considerable weight. Thus, generally speaking, a conventional clay brick is not suitable for erection of toy structures or temporary structures by children due to the very real risk of injury if the structure should collapse.

The obvious possibilities for the use of thermoplastic materials as a substitute for clay in making a decorative brick, or a brick suitable for use in toy or temporary structures, is immediately apparent. However, the quantity of thermoplastic material which would normally be required to make a reasonably accurate reproduction of a brick, even if hollow, has generally been considered to make such a project uneconomic. In addition, the prob lems of attaching the bricks to one another without the use of mortar raise further problems both in the design of the brick and also in the design of an economically moldable unit for manufacture by conventional plastic forming techniques, such as, for example, injection moulding. Thus, for example, if injection moulding is to be the method employed, and at the present time it is clearly the preferred method, then the design of the mould for such a unit must be such that the unit is to all intents and purposes universal to avoid an undue multiplicity of different mouldings, and at the same time must be such that the mould can be both quickly filled and cooled and the product ejected from the mould within an economical moulding cycle. Such attempts as have been made in the past to manufacture a plastic brick have generally speaking suffered from various defects along the lines of the problems outlined above.

It is a general objective of the present invention, therefore, to provide a plastic brick which is suitable for decorative and recreational use, and which uses the economical minimum of material in its construction, and may be moulded in an economical moulding cycle, while yet being capable of being used in at least as many different ways as a conventional brick, and which may be attached together Without the use of mortar.

More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a plastic moulded building unit which, when erected, has the outside appearance of a brick, but which is in fact entirely hollow and has substantially no upper and lower surface whereby to reduce the mouldmg cycle and also to reduce the quantity of material employed, while at the same time incorporating additional advantages such as permitting the introduction of packing materials to add weight or insulation if this should ever be necessary.

More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a plastic brick in which the means of attachment are incorporated integrally with the brick and may readily be understood by unskilled home owners and Icihiltliren so as to increase the possible sales of such a FIG More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a plastic brick which may be moulded with a variety of unusual exterior shapes to provide a variety of different decorative effects.

The foregoing and other advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given here by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which like reference devices refer to like parts thereof throughout the various views and diagrams and in which;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective illustration of a group of plastic bricks according to the present invention, partially cut away to reveal their construction;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a brick as shown in FIG- URE 1, one half of the brick being sectioned along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged perspective illustration of a portion of the brick shown in FIGURE 1 cut away to reveal its construction;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective illustration of an intermediate sandwich section for use in association with the bricks of FIGURE 1 to simulate a mortar layer;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional illustration along the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional end elevation along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 showing a clamping means used to hold two bricks together;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a brick capping member partially sectioned along the line 8-8 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of a brick base member partially sectioned along the line 88 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, and,

FIGURE 10 is a schematic view showing bricks according to the embodiment of FIGURE 9 assembled with one another.

It will be noted that according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plastic brick indicated generally as 10 defines outer side wall surfaces 11 and end wall surfaces 12, the upper and lower perimeters of which are provided with an inwardly offset lip 13 extending around the upper and lower perimeter of the brick .10.

The interior of the side walls 11 and end walls 12. of the brick 10- is provided with horizontally extending struts 14- and vertical supporting ribs 15. Preferably, side walls 1 1 and end walls 12 are of a thickness not greater than between 10 and 20 thousandths of an inch, except in the region of struts 14 and ribs 15 where the thickness may be increased to between 2 and 5 times the thickness of the remainder of the wall. It will further be noted that, according to this preferred embodiment of the invention, side Walls 11 and end walls 12 are provided with a maximum thickness in the region of the horizontal strut 14, such thickness tapering gradually towards the upper and lower perimeters 13.

In order to join bricks together, there are provided at least four buttress members 16 to each half portion of the brick 10, thus in the preferred form of brick 10 there will be eight such buttress members 16 as shown, although of course it will be understood that in such a whole brick there could be more than eight, and in the case of a half brick such as would be used for finishing off a course there will be only four. Each buttress member 16 is formed in an L shape having two arms of equal size and section, one such arm being aligned along the longitudinal axis of the brick 10 and the other such arm being normal thereto, aligned with the transverse axis of the brick 10. Buttress members 16 are formed integrally and moulded with the inner side of side walls 11, and in the case of buttress members 16 at the ends of the brick, also with end walls 12. Buttress members 16 are ar ranged at all four corners of the brick 10 and also in back to back pairs in the centre of side walls 11. Buttress members 16 extend to a depth of only one-half of the depth of side walls 11 and end walls 12 and are provided with L shaped vertically extending sockets 17 throughout their length, being closed only at their inner ends, sockets 17 being also of L shaped section, having two arms, one such arm being aligned with the longitudinal axis of the brick 10, and the other such arm being normal thereto, aligned with the transverse axis of the brick 10. The wall thickness of buttress member 16 surrounding and defining sockets .17 is preferably uniform, although tapering slightly from a maximum at about the mid point of side walls 11 and end walls 12 down to a minimum at its outer end, the angle of taper being between 1 and 2 degrees and no more than 5 degrees.

In order to interlock with sockets 17, complementary locking pins 18 are moulded integrally with the inner side of side walls 11 for registration with sockets 17 in a next adjacent brick 10. Pins 18 are of fiat rectangular shape in section and are aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of brick 10, corresponding with the longitudinal axis of the next adjacent brick 19 containing the arm portions of sockets 11 which are also aligned with the same longitudinal axis along the same side Wall 111. It will be noted that pins 18 do not correspond in shape to sockets 17, but are dimensioned to fit into either one or the other of the arms of the L shape section thereof, which, as stated, are both of equal section, depending upon whether the bricks 10 are arranged in line or at right angles to one another. In this way it is possible to keep the thickness of the section of pins 18 down to a minimum consistent with adequate strength and short moulding cycle without sink marks or distortion which might arise in a thicker section such as a cylindrical section for example, due to inadequate cooling time in the mould. Pins 18 preferably extend beyond the peripheral rim 13 outside walls 11 for a distance almost equal to the depth of sockets 17, i.e. between about 25% and 45% of the overall height of side walls 11, and extend within side walls 11 until they meet and merge with the inner ends .of buttress members 16.

For additional strength and rigidity one or more beam members 119 is provided from side to side of the interior of brick 10 between side walls 11, preferably being integrally moulded at each end thereof with buttress members 16 and pins 18. Beam members 19 may constitute a simple wall or partition, but are preferably formed with a section in the shape of a cross whereby to obtain minimum wall thicknesses consistent with maximum strength' Obviously, other beam sections Would be permissible such as for example an I-beam laid on its side would also serve.

It will be understood that while bricks provided with the foregoing features will provide a highly efiicient means of erecting an interlocked wall or structure of plastic bricks, which are capable of being arranged one above the other or offset by one half brick from one another in the normal manner of brick construction, arranged in courses, it may in some cases be desirable to provide a simulated mortar effect. For this purpose, a separate member is provided, according to the invention as shown in FIGURE 4. The mortar member is generally indicated as 26 and comprises an integral one piece moulding having side walls 21, end walls 22, which may optionally be provided with a vertically ribbed surface (not shown) although other surface effects may be achieved, depending upon the moulding techniques employed, such a surface effect being of course confined only to the exterior portion of side walls 21 and end walls 22 which will be visible to the eye in the finished structure. Side walls 21 and end walls 22 are relatively thin since they bear no load and are designed to fit around and at least partially overlap rims 13 on bricks 10. Within the interior of side walls 21 and end walls 22 there are provided at least four flange members 23 to each half portion, that is to say eight in the preferred form of mortar member designed for use in conjunction with whole bricks 19. Flange members 23 are provided with L shaped slotted openings 24' extending therethrough, of the same or somewhat larger section than the L shaped section of sockets 17 and arranged in precise registration therewith. Flange members 23 are formed in relatively thin sections, and thereby permit pins 18 to extend therethrough and seat in sockets [17 without substantially impairing the grip thereof. Web portions 25 are provided extending between flange members 23 and of the same thickness in relation thereto in order to abut against rim 13 of brick 10 and provide a load bearing surface around the full extent thereof. In order to hold such webs 25 in position, locking members 26 are formed thereon intermediate flanges 23 whereby to interlock with the inner edges of rims 13 of bricks 10 and prevent outward deflection of side walls 21 and attached webs 25 (see FIGURE 6).

In order to hold bricks 10 together against accidental dislodgement, clip means 27 may be employed as shown in FIGURE 6 having upper and lower hook portions 28 shaped to fit around and engage with horizontal struts 14 on bricks .10, struts 14 preferably being shaped with a neck around which hooks 28 may securely engage themselves as shown.

In order to provide for a base and a cap to a wall constructed of bricks 10 according to the invention, separate base and cap members are required. The brick capping member 29 is illustrated in FIGURE 7. It will be seen to comprise essentially the lower half of a brick 10 having the same interlocking pin members, identified by the same reference numerals, and being further provided with a cap portion 30 providing a smooth enclosed top. The base member 31 is illustrated in FIGURE 8 and will be seen to consist essentially of the upper parts of a brick 10, being provided with the same interlocking sockets as are provided on such upper half of brick 10, which are identified by the same reference numerals, and is further provided with a bottom cover portion 32 and may also optionally be provided with a cushion member 33 to avoid marking floors and the like.

According to a further embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, a further form of brick may be constructed somewhat larger than brick 10 with a greater number of pairs of buttress members 16 and sockets 17 formed therein. If, for example, such a brick 10 is provided with four additional such buttress members 16 and sockets 17 spaced equidistantly apart from one another and from the end walls 12 of the brick 10, such spacing apart obviously corresponding to the width of such a brick 10, provision may be made for a such brick which may be interlocked to form a solid wall in the normal brick construction, but with the offset pattern between the courses being somewhat modified. On the other hand, where a different form of decorative eifect is required, as for example in a room divider or the like, the bricks may be interlocked in a difierent manner providing an open wall form of construction with rectangular openings therethrough corresponding to the size of transverse cross section of a brick 10.

According to the further embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, provision may be made for a brick 10 having curved or angular side walls. In this alternative embodiment, the central structure of such a brick, which is indicated as 40, may be substantially identical to the structure of the brick 10 although, since the side walls 11 will not be exposed to view, there is generally speaking little or no need to support them with struts 14 and ribs 15. Thus, with this main exception, such a brick 40 will comprise side walls 11, end walls 12, buttress members 16, sockets 17, pins 18 and one or more beams 19. In addition to these features, exterior side wall panels 41 are provided, preferably supported by ribs 42 extending between the inner side of side wall panels 41 and the outer surface of side walls 11.

In operation it will be understood that bricks 10 according to the invention may simply be erected as they are, either as a room divider or in a play area for children or for a temporary outside structure such as a garden shed or a dog house for example. Where it is desired to use such bricks to provide a structure of a more permanent nature, however, the bricks can obviously be erected in the form of a wall and from time to time upon the completion of three or four courses, a fairly weak cement mixture can be poured into bricks 10 filling the same. It will be understood that such cement can readily flow into all of bricks 10 in this way, since, notwithstanding the fact that they are erected in an offset manner, the beam 19 will not constitute an obstruction to flow of such cement between adjacent bricks, but will on the contrary, permit cement to flow throughout all of bricks 10 and will bind them together against removal.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is given here by way of example only.

What I claim is:

1. A building member formed of moulded synthetic plastic adapted for interlocking together and for use with or Without filling material, and comprising:

integral side and end walls of predetermined thickness defining a rectangular brick shaped member having a hollow top and bottom;

interior support rib means on the inner surfaces of said wall moulded integrally therewith and having a depth between two and five times said wall thickness;

a buttress member at each of four corners defined between said side and end walls, said buttress members being formed integrally with said side and end walls and having generally L shaped sections defining generally L shaped sockets extending therein along an axis parallel to the planes of said side and end walls, one arm of said L being arranged to lie parallel with said side wall and the other said arm of said L being arranged to lie parallel with said end wall, said L shaped socket tapering slightly from top to bottom, and said L shaped buttress members tapering slightly from bottom to top; and

interlocking pin members at each of four corners defined by said side and end walls and moulded integrally therewith, said interlocking pin members extending from the inner end of said buttress members to a point beyond the edges of said side wall, said locking pin members being of generally rectangular sections tapering from the inner end to the outer end thereof and being dimensioned to fit within one arm at least of a said L shaped socket in a said buttress member.

2. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including at least one intermediate strut member extending from side to side of the interior of said member between said side walls, and buttress members arrangd on each side of each said strut member adjacent the junction thereof with each said side walls.

3. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including a recessed flange portion extending around the upper and lower edges of said side and end walls.

4. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including a horizontally extending rib member formed around the inner surfaces of said side and end walls intermediate the upper and lower edges thereof and a neck portion formed along at least half of said rib member.

5. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including, in combination therewith, as a separable member, a sandwich member adapted for interlocking between building members as aforesaid and comprising side and end wall members adapted to overlap around respective upper and lower edges of respective side and end walls of said building members and means within said side and end members defining L shaped slotted openings for reception of said pin members of said building members therethrough.

6. A building member as claimed in claim 5 wherein said sandwich member includes inwardly interlocking members for engaging the inner surfaces of said side and end walls of said building members to retain the same firmly in position.

7. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including at least one intermediate strut member extending from side to side therein between said side wall, said strut member being of reduced width in relation to the height of said side wall thereby to permit free flow of filling material from side to side along the interior of said building member.

3. A building member as claimed in claim 1 including pairs of said buttress members arranged back to back intermediate said end walls located on said side wall in registration with one another on opposite sides of said member, and including pairs of locking pin members arranged together with respective pairs of said buttress members and oriented for interlocking with respective buttress members of a next adjacent building member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,604,391 10/1926 Croy 46-25 1,949,079 2/1934 Loefiier 52594 X 2,512,550 6/1950 Pezzano 52584 2,688,245 9/1954 Vesper 52591 2,691,242 10/1954 Young 52-591 X 3,180,059 4/1965 Persak 52594 X FOREIGN PATENTS 100,283 2/ 1937 Australia.

496,022 10/ 1919 France.

470,061 8/1937 Great Britain.

795,078 5/1958 Great Britain.

ALFRED C. PERHAM, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

